DIY: Iron Throne From Game of Thrones

So, okay, this Game of Thrones-inspired Iron Throne isn’t exactly a sword by sword replica of the original, by any stretch of the imagination (just keepin’ it real). However, I think it looks pretty cool in its own right. It’s quite possible that my opinion is a little biased considering the amount of time and effort I put in and also forced others to put in, lolz. If you think it sucks, you can totally go ahead and say it. Fortunately, my feelings regenerate at twice the speed of normal humans so I can take it. Just don’t be too unnecessarily harsh ’cause, I mean, no-one likes a negative Ned (just looking out for you).

Instead of being forged from the swords of a thousand enemies, this Iron throne gets its characteristic deadly appearance from a lawn chair and cardboard cut-outs of swords. And thankfully, it doesn’t require you to have the net-worth of a Lannister, unlike this insanely detailed replica which was on sale for £20,000 (it was limited edition so isn’t even on the market anymore). Let’s talk about how you can make your own.

Things You’ll Need:

– A plastic lawn chair you’re willing to part with
– Cardboard (I used two large cartons)
– Glue (I used cementex)
– Black and silver spray paint

Difficulty level: Medium (it takes some time and effort but isn’t rocket science)

Step 1: Picking out a chair

I used this one mainly because even if it got ruined in the trial-and-error process, no one would’ve shed a tear. There was a crack at the top and overall, it wasn’t in the best condition or the most loved (lived a sad life and was desperately in need of some attention).

Step 2: Manual labour aka cutting out the swords

Once you’ve got your base, you can start cutting out the swords. We measured the back of the chair and chose an approximate length for the swords based on that. I used a box cutter to carve them out. We also cut some shorter ones for the bottom of the chair. This was the most time consuming part since you need lots of swords to get that Iron Throne look. Three of us cut swords for two days – I think we did about 50-60 of them.

Step 3: Layering up swords & glue-ing (like there’s no tomorrow)

We started with the top of the chair first. The number of swords you need will depend on the dimensions of the chair you’re using and the size of your swords (Captain Obvious is on his way to rescue you from this sentence). We used about 5 for each layer. The first layer was with the pointy end (whatever that’s called) pointing upwards. This was followed by another layer with the swords facing the other way. The point is to cover up as much of the chair as you can with the swords. Until you’re happy with the way it looks and it resembles some version of the Iron Throne.

Started at the top, now we hereExcuse the mess in the background, there was a lot of craft going on at the time

Step 4: Spray painting

This is the fun part! We did it at night so I couldn’t get any photos of this step. But, it’s not like you even need them. Use the black and silver sprays and go crazy.

Step 5: Admiring your handiwork

It’s not going to be the most comfortable chair in the room but then neither is the Iron Throne (and isn’t that kind of the point?). But you’ll definitely feel an overwhelming sense of joy knowing you’ve made it yourself!

*****

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the other Game of Thrones DIYs, let me just say you haven’t lived (tiny exaggerations we can all live with). Here’s a list: